Locals play major roles as Division III Jumbos reach first title game
Two players from the Washington area’s fiercest high school rivalry joined forces on Saturday to deliver Tufts to an improbable berth in the NCAA men’s lacrosse Division III championship game.
Lifted by sophomore midfielders Kevin McCormick (Georgetown Prep) and Nick Rhoads (Landon), Tufts stunned defending champion SUNY Cortland, 10-9, in the semifinals. While McCormick’s third goal, coming with three minutes left, was the game winner, Rhoads took 13 of 23 faceoffs and led the Jumbos to a 46-30 edge in ground balls, collecting 12.
Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, when Tufts (19-1) faces eight-time champion Salisbury (21-1), it will be uncharted territory for a program that had never been past the quarterfinals. Salisbury is in the championship game for the seventh time in the last eight years.
“One thing they have on us is experience,” said McCormick (27 goals, 12 assists). “But we’ve been through all sorts of situations, winning the [conference] for the first time, overcoming big deficits, doing things we’ve never accomplished. Each time we do something new, it gives us confidence.”
Twelve-year coach Mike Daly has guided Tufts to nine straight winning seasons, but bad luck in the New England Small College Athletic Conference tournament had limited Tufts to two NCAA appearances.
Before this season, however, he sent DVDs of the 2009 D-III title game to each of his players, making clear his high expectations.
“We had to write down our goals before the season,” said Rhoads. “Just about everyone wrote ‘to win a national championship.’ We’ve always thought it was within our reach.”
Helping extend the reach has been the play of Rhoads, who has won 67 of 106 faceoffs (.623 win percentage), starting with the Jumbos’ 13-12 win over Middlebury in the NESCAC tournament final. According to Rhoads, his postseason dominance has come with a switch to a motorcycle grip and a new stick.
“It’s black-on-black,” said Rhoads. “One ref called it a death stick.”
McCormick came to the school in suburban Boston when Division I offers failed to materialize. Rhoads was set to go to Division I Colgate, but when Tufts offered an opportunity to play lacrosse and football, Rhoads took it, although he has since given up football.
Tufts will try to replicate the football stadium experience with a practice Thursday morning at nearby Gillette Stadium. When Baltimore last hosted in 2007, the Division III final attracted 22,778, twice as many fans as the Jumbos drew for all 20 of their games combined.
“It will be crazy. I’ve never been in a game this big,” said Rhoads. “Closest thing would be Landon-Prep.”
